The Mumbai Indians (MI), under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya, are struggling in IPL 2026 after suffering their fifth defeat, this time against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. MI managed only four points from their first seven matches, leaving them in a precarious position where they must secure at least six wins from their remaining seven games to have a shot at playoff qualification. Historically, 16 points have been the benchmark for advancing to the playoffs since the IPL expanded to ten teams in 2022. In their latest match, MI collapsed to 104 all out in response to CSK's 207 runs, marking MI's largest defeat in IPL history. CSK's Sanju Samson played a pivotal role, scoring an unbeaten 101 runs, while spinners Akeal Hossain and Noor Ahmed excelled with the ball for CSK, helping them bounce back after a previous loss.